


To the Winner Goes the Spoils

by Mikatti



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Manipulative Naruto, Nicer Kyuubi, Strong Uzumaki Naruto, konoha is full of assholes, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 09:42:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11228364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikatti/pseuds/Mikatti
Summary: All Naruto has ever wanted was to be acknowledged by everyone. When he meets the Kyuubi on his fifth birthday, this is exactly what is promised to him. The Kyuubi and him have different methods of getting such a thing, however.





	1. Birthday Present

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly have no idea as to what the heck I am doing right now. This is my first fanfic, and I'm really not expecting much out of this story. Please enjoy this attempt at a story though!!

Everyone either expected absolutely nothing from him or they expected the absolute worst. There was hardly an in between for the first five years of his life.

The older kids at the orphanage thought him useless. Shoving their duties onto him and running crying to the matrons with dramatic tears and wails when he refused, spouting lies that paint him as the perpetrator to cruel pranks and acts. The younger children really weren't much better. The rooms were shared based on age, and a series of his items suddenly going missing was commonplace.

He'd end up finding his increasingly grime-covered pillow and threadbare blanket outside after a full days worth of rain only to return to his room to not-so-subtle snickering. The caretakers had nothing to say except to _not leave his belongings in the rain_ no matter how many times he insisted he had no part in it. His spare outfits miraculously gained holes and cuts at alarming rates, which forced him to either ask the matrons or to scrounge for new clothes among the forgotten garbage lying in alleyways.

The matrons would berate him when he asked for anything. So much so that he eventually learned not to ask. When he failed to complete a chore that was not tasked to him, they would send him to his room with no dinner and a multitude of insults. "Useless". "Burden". "Demon".

The last was a favorite of theirs.

In retrospect this was probably why the other kids hated him so much. Their shared desperation for a semblance of approval and attention was catered to by the matrons when the kids' behavior towards him mirrored their own dislike. Naruto could almost understand, he was an orphan who was just as starved for positive interactions.

That's not to say that Naruto did nothing in retaliation. Bugs would crawl in his bullies' beds, other kids' toys would go missing just as often as his, obnoxiously colorful hair and horrendously dyed clothing began making appearances in the orphanage (certainly an improvement to the drab grays and muted colors of the place). And if the kids who played ninja outside were suddenly attacked with ballons of paint and glitter while he was confined to his bedroom for nonexistent transgressions, well, Naruto couldn't say anything about that. He was ordered to stay in his room after all.

However, his birthdays were the worst. He either stayed in the orphanage with a promise of minimal safety or risked his wellbeing by being outside in the streets. The glares were harsher, and the muttering and snide comments louder and more conspicuous. He'd learned to not confront anyone after his fourth birthday, where a drunkard had slashed his hand with a broken bottle, grabbed his wrist hard enough to sprain, and then promptly passed out.

So for his fifth birthday, he stayed in his room, only exiting for meals and chores, and entertaining himself with a children's book he'd managed to snag from a street side vendor. Naruto had been attempting to teach himself to read. While the other orphans at least had minimal assistance from the matrons, he was declined such a luxury and sent away with feeble excuses laced with underlying hostility the few times he had asked.

Despite the abuses of the orphanage and the majority of civilians he encountered, Naruto still had his goal: he would earn everyone's recognition no matter what it took. If everyone else could already read, then he couldn't fall behind them so early on.

At the end of the day, when the sunlight failed to reach the yellowed pages and the matrons have called the "lights out", Naruto hid his book inside the cover of his pillow before laying down and closing his eyes.

"Happy fifth birthday, Naruto," he muttered to himself dejectedly.

Really, he shouldn't have been as sad as he was - the day was as good as it could have been for him. The other kids had better things to do than pull malicious pranks, and he completed his chores efficiently with relatively little scolding from the caretakers. His meals were still hot and fresh and he escaped punishments entirely.

Thinking on this positive note, Naruto let his thoughts drift before his mind dragged him into the oblivion of sleep.

~~~~~~~

It was the steady drip of water that roused him from unconsciousness. The stagnant but cool air tinged with a musty, dank smell is what convinces him to open his eyes. When he fails to spot the telltale signs of the orphanage's shabby ceiling, he knows he must be dreaming, but the peace of laying there without interruption is too tempting for him to make the effort of getting up.

"So I finally meet my jailor. Much sooner than I anticipated really." The booming voices that resounds through the air startled him into sitting up, only to find a giant, orange... fox. Behind bars. With nine tails.

Certainly not what he was expecting in a dream, but he responds with a tentative, "Who are you?"

The fox, an intimidatingly large size he belatedly realizes, pins him with a hostile and searching gaze with vicious eyes the color of freshly spilt blood. Then, as if he found what he was searching for in Naruto's trembling and pathetic appearance, he bared his teeth in a deranged mockery of a grin. The fox leaned forward until his massive head was a hair's width from the bars, and Naruto could feel the warm huff of air from his snout brush over his skin, making his hair stand up on end.

"For now, you may call me kyuubi," he growled in response.

Of course at this point Naruto had no idea what the implications of Kyuubi's greeting meant for him and his future.

~~~~~~~

When Naruto woke up to find himself back in his bed, he replayed the events of the dream he remembered in startling clarity. A gigantic fox had introduced himself and then gone on to explain how it was a powerful chakra monster trapped inside Naruto's stomach. This explanation was then followed by a stream of Naruto's questions ranging from "what is chakra?" and "how are you trapped?" to "why do you have nine tails?". Naruto peppered him with questions that were returned with dismissive half-answers or increasingly frustrated grunts of annoyance. The dream ended not much longer after that, but Naruto could swear the scent of murky cave water still lingered in his nose.

Resigning himself to starting the day, Naruto sat up to find the room vacated of everyone else, indicating that he probably already missed breakfast. "Though there wasn't much to miss," he groused forlornly while thinking of the watery porridge they deemed food. His stomach rumbling weakly and the empty feeling within in were his only replies.

His first thought was _Ramen_.

A bright grin lit Naruto's face, and he jumped from his bed and sprinted out of the orphanage, only stopping to carefully avoid the notice of the matrons and other orphans. A smug smirk adorned his face when he escaped with no problems. _Yeah, I'm already a great shinobi!_

It was already close to ten at that point, and the sun's soft rays had begun to permeate and warm up the cool October morning air. When Naruto reached the main streets, they were already bustling with civilians and shinobi alike. Naruto weaved through the crowds in a hurried pace, Ichiraku's and ramen and teuchi still at the forefront of his thoughts, but careful to not inconvenience someone in fear of retribution.

The civilians especially. They enjoyed being loud and mean about it - bringing attention to his mistake as if it were a show for everyone. When altercations like that happened, Naruto ended up running and hiding in the alleyways and backstreets. What few ninja he bumped into didn't bother him much. It was often just a muttered "Watch it, brat." and a matching dirty look, or a neutral stare that encouraged him to move along quickly.

When Ichiraku's was in sight, Naruto increased his speed until he was sprinting, and jumped into the establishment with an excited and loud, "Teuchi!"

He could see the shopkeeper visibly jump in response, and by the small clanging noise almost dropped something, but Naruto ignored it in favor of climbing up a stool and claiming a seat. The other lone occupant of the establishment glanced in his direction at the shout, and his eye widened briefly before he returned to his ramen. Naruto guessed he was a shinobi if his weird hairstyle and minimal reaction were anything to go by.

When Teuchi recovered, his face noticeably brightened when he noticed the source of the outburst. "Naruto! I didn't have the chance to wish you a happy birthday yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't make it!" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and his smile dimmed briefly when he thought of the real reason for not being there.

Teuchi smiled and gave him a fond look, "Ayame is sick today, but she'll be upset she missed the chance to talk to you two days in a row." He chuckled to himself at that but continued,"How about a few bowls of ramen on the house for the new five year old!"

With an animated cheer, Naruto enthusiastically requested a miso ramen to start with, and then chattered on excitedly about the last few days to Teuchi. Once the ramen was placed in front of him, however, Naruto broke off his story and shouted, "Itadakimasu!" and began stuffing his face with little respect for manners.

Halfway through his bowl, or about a minute since it has been in front of him, Naruto heard a gruff voice break through the excited haze that Ichiraku's ramen always brought.

_'Somehow this doesn't surprise me in the least'_

He paused and glanced up confusedly. That couldn't have been Teuchi... He turns to side to ask the shinobi a few seats down and gets halfway through his question, "Hey shinobi-san, did you-" before realizing the only thing there was an empty bowl and a wad of ryō settled on the countertop.

The voice sounded oddly familiar, but Naruto returns to his ramen with little hesitation before soon requesting a second bowl with another cheer.

~~~~~~

Later in the day after spending most of the morning simply talking to him, Naruto thanked Teuchi profusely and promised to come by soon to see Ayame before leaving Ichiraku's. He ended up wandering on the outskirts of the main streets distractedly, peeking into a passing shop when shinobi equipment or various foods and desserts caught his attention momentarily. It was nearing the afternoon, and the mid-day sun had warmed everything up considerably, leaving him almost uncomfortably hot in his jumpsuit.

Naruto didn't know why, but something felt weird since he woke up, not bad he reasoned to himself, but not normal. Everyone around him gave off a vibe Naruto wasn't used to in the least. He definitely felt more sensitive - to what he wasn't exactly sure of yet. Even in himself, he could tell that something had changed.

He was uncharacteristically quiet and lost in thought. So much so that it was the peaceful silence itself which alerted him to the fact that he was no longer on the streets and was instead nearing an empty park.

Naruto threw himself at the base of a nearby tree that shielded him from the sun's rays. He was suddenly exhausted, but that only confused him more. He shouldn't have been feeling so weird - Naruto just had Ichiraku's and Teuchi's company, no one had bothered him excessively, and he even had a strangely large amount of sleep the previous night. At this point in the day, Naruto should've been pranking unsuspecting civilians and stealing the food, books, and clothes that careless vendors left unattended. Only the ones that refused service to him of course.

His eyes were closing on their own at a relaxed pace, pulled down by the serenity of the park. But it was not the steady drip that caused him to awake this time.

"I'm almost impressed that you noticed anything at all."

Similar to his last dream, the reverberating growl jerks him fully awake and into a sitting position. Naruto now fully recognizes the voice and connects it to the one from Ichiraku's, and his eyes widen in incredulity.

He stands up and walks closer to the bars before loudly confirming his realization to Kyuubi, "So it _was_ you! At Ichiraku's!" He stares at the clawed feet for a moment before almost whispering with an unreadable expression on his face, "Then this isn't a dream."

Naruto looks up to meet the Kyuubi's gaze once again and sees a pleased expression that matches the viscous grin on the fox's face. Kyuubi says nothing in response to his last statement and instead moves on to explain that Naruto probably accessed his chakra for the first time after last night. For the entirety of the day he had been sensing his own chakra and the chakra of those around him. Kyuubi's explanation had more insults and impatience than his brief summary included however.

After Naruto had absorbed the information enough for Kyuubi's satisfaction, the fox asked him something fairly unexpected.

"What is it you want the most, brat?"

"I want to be acknowledged by everyone!" Naruto confidently stated with a determined expression.

Kyuubi just appeared more pleased at Naruto's answer. "So you want the power to make people recognize you." At Naruto's hesitant nod which contrasted his previous confidence in his answer, Kyuubi continued, "You want to be strong, then? Powerful? I can help you, Naruto. I can _make_ you the most powerful shinobi in the village, stronger than the hokage, stronger than _any_ kage. Just listen to me from now on, Naruto. Take my advice."


	2. New Companion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh I'm not 100% certain where this is going, but I want to see if I can make this into a kinda okay multi-chap story

It did not take long for the Kyuubi to come to the realization that the kid was a walking, talking paradox. Too trusting, yet extremely cautious in seemingly random situations. Brash and obnoxious, but somehow unnoticed when called for. Resilient to the numerous taunts thrown by weak and ignorant citizens, yet fragile and heartbroken from some of Kyuubi’s lightest insults. 

At finding out Naruto would have a constant companion, one that did not seem too perturbed at being in his presence and was unable to leave him, his enthusiasm was unrestrained to an annoying degree. The first few days consisted of incessant attempts at conversation to which Kyuubi responded with short, gruff, and often one-word answers. That or not at all, though it was mostly out of Kyuubi’s control, he later discerned.

Kyuubi’s efforts to corrode the seal from inside his prison since he had awoken three years ago had only partially paid off. For he had destroyed a small portion of the seal, a few kanji that used to reside on the outermost parts, and one that held a seemingly insignificant amount of power. 

Kyuubi, however, did not remain emboldened by his miniscule success for long. That small change brought upon a larger, more demoralizing adjustment to the seal. After a brief glance at the additional kanji and dramatic change in structure, he recognized the failsafe for what it was. 

_ How cruel _ , he thought snidely,  _ the Yondaime put a kill-switch in his own son _ .

Any more chakra used to destroy the seal and both he and his blissfully ignorant jailor would drop dead. Kyuubi was not willing to linger in a state of powerless unconsciousness for his body and mind to reform for the next few hundred years, only to come back to his siblings who would mock his failure. Though at this point, he discovered that those first few kanji were not insignificant in the least. Hearing the child’s thoughts and feelings was new after all.

Through what limited amounts of communication to the brat Kyuubi had access to, he would escape. He would take his revenge on those who thought him weak enough to cage into a  _ child _ . Those damn shinobi! 

With that thought, a malicious grin creeping along face, and fury blazing across his ember eyes, Kyuubi sat in wait for his first meeting with the brat.

 

~~~~~~

 

On the fourth day of Naruto’s newfound companionship, Kyuubi saw his ability to converse with the kid as both a blessing and a curse. He was slowly becoming adept at tuning out the useless chatter in favor of sleeping. Unfortunately for him, Naruto’s thoughts were a constant presence, but his ability to converse with the child, mainly to tell him to keep quiet or offer odd pieces of advice, came at unexpected points in the day for irregular lengths of time - often lasting one to four hours in between equally long periods of silence. Whenever Naruto fell unconscious and greeted him in the familiar cave, he would ramble about his day as if Kyuubi was not witness to it and everything that had happened. But today was different. He actually planned to make some progress. More than just half-explanations about chakra and revealing that the kid was sensing other people. 

Tuning back in, Kyuubi caught the tail-end of Naruto’s latest retelling of the previous day’s events. “-so after I saw the paint can fall on Sora’s head and the matron came back from the kitchen with the bucket of fish-”

“Naruto.” 

“Wha- yeah, Kyuubi?” Naruto paused in his wild gesticulating to turn his gaze to Kyuubi whose eyes were focused on him intently, a serious expression settling on his face.

“You told me that you wanted to become strong, yes?” Naruto nodded in reply, his enthusiasm dimming into curiosity. 

“Then I think it is about time that I start actively training you,” Kyuubi declared with a vicious smirk, teeth bared, slowly forming on his face. Naruto, of course, interpreted this as smile full of excitement and anticipation and responded in kind, his face lighting up in a full grin, nearly bright enough to illuminate the dimly lit cavern. “Really! We’re starting stuff? What’s first? Wanna go over jutsus and those ninja weapons?” At this, Naruto was hopping from one foot to the other, imitating throwing shuriken in an inexperienced six year old’s fashion.

Kyuubi huffed out a small laugh, and his eyes narrowed condescendingly. “Close,” he replied, “you are going to begin learning about chakra and how to control it with precision.” Naruto’s expression dimmed slightly and he opened his mouth to respond, but Kyuubi interrupted him with a growl.

“Naruto. This is not something to take lightly. Your training is not for your amusement. The only way you will become acknowledged is if you take this seriously. And once we’re done, there won’t  _ be  _ anyone to bully you or take you for granted.”

Naruto scrunched his face up at that. “So they will definitely respect me after this, right?”

“Yes, yes. That’s what I mean,” Kyuubi growled in exasperation, “now, you will listen to me and do what I say.” A more hesitant nod in return and then he continued. 

“To start, Chakra is the combination of spiritual and physical energies, yin chakra and yang chakra respectively. One’s spiritual energy can be increased through mental stimulation.” At Naruto’s blank look, he expanded, “things such as experience, studying, and whatnot. Physical energy can be expanded through training and exercise. Now in each person, shinobi or civilian, these energies together create a unique signature for that person alone. I noticed that you have a highly developed sensitivity to the chakra of those around you for a human of your age. I have no doubt that with my help you will become a chakra sensor who is almost unparalleled in ability.”

Naruto had at some point sat down in the murky waters throughout the Kyuubi’s explanation, diligently absorbing the information given to him. At Kyuubi’s slight pause, Naruto interjected, a pensive frown settled cast upon his face, “so… does that mean that fuzzy feeling I’ve been gettin’ from other people will tell me who they are? And where?”

_ To think, the brat actually possesses a semblance of competence _ . Kyuubi’s slight twitch of the lips was answer enough, as Naruto jumped from his sitting position, immediately rejuvenated by the potential such a skill provided, in pranks of course.

“So I can escape from pranks better, I know exactly who is coming, I can avoid people, like the matrons, or Sora or Asahi or Riko or…” Naruto paused, his previous enthusiasm diminished as fast as it appeared and his face fell to an uncomfortably emotionless stare, “or drunk people or mean shopkeepers too…” Naruto glanced up at Kyuubi and was met with an indifferent gaze. The sound of drops plinking into the water resounded throughout the cave in their sudden silence. Kyuubi only held eye contact for a few tense but meaningful seconds before turning his massive head to the side and continuing with his lesson.

“All of that will be at your disposal eventually, yes, but not without chakra control, so do not get ahead of yourself, brat. Chakra control allows for one’s jutsus to be more powerful, general performance enhancement, and more efficient use of chakra, though the last is not something that you should explicitly worry about. The only exercise I want you to attempt for right now is to intentionally access and manipulate your chakra.” At that, Kyuubi stopped and turned around to face Naruto once again, apparently waiting for the child’s first tries. Naruto swivelled his head around as though the answer would appear on one of the walls. Then he simply stared at his hands for a few brief moments before looking up with absolute confusion lacing his every feature and asked, “How?”

Kyuubi rolled his eyes. A sneer graced his lips as he answered. “You said that you sense a ‘fuzzy feeling’ from other people. All that I am telling you is to access your own… fuzzy feeling. Look inside yourself. Concentrate. Mold your chakra into a tight ball then release it.” 

Kyuubi watched as Naruto sat cross-legged with his face scrunched up, his arms held at awkward angles hanging in the air near his stomach. _Almost amusing_ , the Kyuubi thought to himself, a small smirk settled on his face. But the slight entertainment Naruto’s frustration provided the enormous chakra beast soon ended as Naruto’s cerulean eyes snapped open, glistening with success. His arms dropped to his side and with a shout Naruto exclaimed, “I did it! Kyuubi, I did it! I felt the chakra an’ molded it an’ everything!” Naruto settled back down, a pleased expression still adorning his face. before adding, “I bet the other kids at the orphanage can’t do that. Maybe they can read better, but not do this! Ya think, Kyuubi?” 

“You would be correct in that statement, brat. Of that I have no doubt.” Kyuubi stopped suddenly, head tilted to the side and his ears twitching in an effort to sense something unknown to Naruto. Kyuubi’s eyes narrowed in concentration briefly before he turned all of his attention back to Naruto. 

“Our time is limited. I can feel you nearing consciousness. I must emphasize that what you have learned just now is not something to be bragged about and shown to other people.”

“But how will-?”

“No one, brat.” A harsh glare accompanied the command and Naruto quickly silenced himself. “Should you want to practice your newfound skill, you will make absolutely sure that you are alone. You may not be able to sense who is near you or specific positions, but I expect you to cease your training as soon as you perceive any foreign chakra.” 

Naruto appeared slightly miffed at losing an opportunity to show off, but was willing to comply if Kyuubi said so. 

He blinked.

And then his sight was met with the dilapidated ceiling of the orphanage. The scent of unwashed blankets and musty bedroom curled in his nostrils. 

_ Kyuubi? You there? _

Guess it was going to be a bit of a wait, then.

 

~~~~~~

 

He seemed to wake up fairly early since he started his nightly chats with Kyuubi. The sun looked as if it had risen maybe an hour ago - still hues of orange brushing against the distant horizon. Thought it's not like Naruto was complaining. The earlier he got up, the more breakfast available, fewer people to avoid, and fewer glares drilling holes into his back as he went about his day.

One nutrient deficient breakfast later, the standard watery porridge, and Naruto escaped to the market, hoping to snag a treat from that old baker before it got too late and too many witnesses arrived. Not too far from the baker’s stand, he stood in the shadowed alleyway in between two shops that had yet to open, a civilian clothes boutique and a modest weapons shop. A small scattering of people, mostly civilians because shinobi are hardly ever up this early unless for a mission, milled about the few shops open at this time. 

A cool breeze caressed his head, ruffling his yellow locks as he poked it out from the alleyway to stalk his prey. This earned him a brief curious look from a nearby civilian passerby and a subsequent derisive narrowing of her eyes. The plump, respectable-looking, her crisp and new fashionable clothes accompanied by perfectly coiffed hair were testament to that, tore her gaze away and hurried her awkward waddle shortly afterwards. Decidedly ignoring that, Naruto saw the craggly baker turn back into his shop, probably to retrieve more goods, and Naruto figured this was as good of an opportunity as he would get. 

He darted out of the alley but slowed his pace enough to where it was not all too suspicious. He was just a rambunctious child after all, hurrying through the streets towards his parents who he saw in the distance. No one paid Naruto any mind when his head was kept turned to the ground, concealing his most recognizable feature. The sweet scent of freshly baked cinnamon rolls and various breads invaded his nose, and it took most of his willpower to not fall over from the despicably pleasant enjoyment it brought him. 

He neared the stand and passed close enough to snag a treat with a reaching hand. Until he felt the abrupt tingling sensation of someone right behind him that is, a ninja because no civilian could be that noticeable on his radar. Naruto quickly retracted his hand and turned to see-

“Hey, it’s ramen shinobi-san!” Naruto exclaimed in recognition. Naruto observed him, trying to slow his racing heartbeat from almost being caught.  _ This guy’s hair is weird _ , Naruto decided on, not so subtly ogling at the silver strands seemingly defying gravity. Looking back to the shinobi’s mostly covered face, he added silently,  _ and him in general _ . 

All the shinobi did was stare at him passively, the uncovered eye burning into him but different from the expected glares, before asking in a low voice, “did you want one?”

Sensing no malice from the man,  _ even shinobi don’t bother hiding their feelings of him this much _ , Naruto nodded vigorously and asked in his cutest, most innocent voice, “can I have the cinnamon roll in front?” followed with one of his brightest smiles, face stretching almost painfully. The man plucked the roll in question from the plethora of other treats and began lackadaisically strolling into the shop, feet not making a single noise as they glided across the floor. Naruto made a move to follow, but the man held his hand up in a “stop there” motion without turning. He obediently waited outside the door, catching the whisper of the shinobi’s exchange with the baker, and then the weird guy returned. 

He was handed the roll, and immediately, the guy started leaving. Naruto called out, “thank you, shinobi-san!” to which a simple “no problem” was tossed over the man’s shoulder in return. Then he blurred out of sight before anything else could be said.

No doubt, this had to be one of the weirdest encounters Naruto has ever experienced, but it gained him a free cinnamon roll that he didn’t even need to steal! So he happily munched on it while strolling down the street and out of the market, planning on walking towards the park.

The tingling feeling had since left his senses, but an unnoticed gaze remained glued to his back for the next few minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TY for reading! Any feedback is appreciated

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone who made it through this, any sort of feedback would be nice! And thanks! I was planning on this being some sort of one-shot but it'll probably just be a few short chapters, similar to this first one.


End file.
